Miami Art Museum and Miami Dade College InterAmerican Campus Form Collaboration to Bring More Meaningful Art Opportunities to Student Body

Partnership Supported by MetLife Foundation Museum and Community Connections Grant

MIAMI â€“ February 28, 2011 â€“ Miami Art Museum and Miami Dade Collegeâ€™s (MDC) InterAmerican Campus will collaborate on a project that will create a unique bridge between the world of academia and the arts. Centered around Miami Art Museumâ€™s upcoming Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other exhibition, the partnership will increase access and arts opportunities for Miami Dade College students, both on campus and at the Museum. The collaboration is made possible with support from MetLife Foundation Museum and Community Connections grant.

This partnership was formed to enhance the Miami Dade College, InterAmerican Campus Arts Institute and to provide Miami Dade College students with special access to Miami Art Museum and Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander. This partnership will create an on-campus satellite exhibition of Neuenschwander’s video, Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (Ash Wednesday/Epilogue), 2006, bring the artist to the InterAmerican Campus to lecture and speak with art students, introduce students to the arts as a professional career opportunity, and enhance art activities at InterAmerican Campus. Miami Art Museum will also host all Miami Dade College students for a special college night at the Museum.

â€œThe summer collaboration between the Museum and MDC InterAmerican Campus will give our students a unique opportunity to meet the visiting artist, Rivane Neuenschwander, enjoy more art experiences by attending many of the activities at the campus and MAM, bring an awareness of career opportunities in the world of art, and most importantly, broaden their vision and appreciation of modern and contemporary art,â€ said Michaela Tomova, Chairperson of Communication, Arts & Philosophy Department at the MDC, InterAmerican Campus. â€œWe all look forward to the summer art activities which will bring Miami Art Museum to our students and community.â€

Only eight grants were awarded to museums for imaginative exhibitions and educational public programming that extend their reach in diverse communities, making art part of peopleâ€™s lives. Miami Dade College has over 170,000 students overall and is recognized for meeting the multiple and unique needs of Miamiâ€™s diverse population.

â€œMetLife Foundation has long understood that the arts and art education play vital roles in progressive communities and are particularly important in promoting community cohesiveness within diverse populations,â€ said MAM Director Thom Collins, â€œWhile this initial program focuses on the InterAmerican Campus, just three miles from the Miami Art Museum, our hope is that this partnership will pave the way for other vital, long-term collaborations.â€

Miami Art Museumâ€™s collection and artistic focus reflect the diverse population of its region, and its wide-ranging and powerful educational outreach programming serves more than 30,000 annually. Miami Art Museum is always free for students, and docent-guided tours are provided to college and university groups, free of charge.

Exhibition organization and support Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other has been organized by the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York in collaboration with Irish Museum of Modern Art.

The presentation of the exhibition at Miami Art Museum is supported by donations to MAMâ€™s Annual Exhibition Fund and a MetLife Foundation Museum and Community Connections grant. Additional support for educational programming is provided by EspÃ­rito Santo Bank.

Rivane Neuenschwander: Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (Ash Wednesday/Epilogue) is organized by Miami Art Museum in conjunction with the exhibition Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other (July 17 – October 16, 2011). Support for the installation is provided by a MetLife Foundation Museum and Community Connections grant.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, Miami Art Museum is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts; with the support of Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners. Miami Art Museum is an accessible facility. For sign language interpretation or assistive listening devices please call Miami Art Museumâ€™s education department 305.375.4073 at least five days in advance. Materials in accessible format may be requested.

Miami Dade College InterAmerican Campus The InterAmerican Campus is located in the heart of Little Havana, one of the most colorful and lively neighborhoods in Miamiâ€™s historic Latin Quarter. The seed for the InterAmerican Campus was planted in 1972 when the College offered two night courses at the Belen Jesuit Prep School. Sixty students enrolled. By 1979, the program had blossomed into the Wolfson Campusâ€™ Division of Bilingual Studies, enrolling 2,000 students.